Sadly, "Gators really are the Big Fish in the Pond."

The next time you watch the Florida Gators consider this: the University of Florida is laying off faculty; cutting back on textbooks; and reducing admissions for incoming freshman. On the flip side, the Florida Gator football team - through financial endowments - has been able to expand scholarships; get brand new Nike uniforms; and build a fresh 31-million dollar athletic complex. More importantly, spending on athletics at UF out paces undergraduate expenditures 3-1. Of course, Florida isn't alone in this category; across the board, head football coaches along with their assistants are increasingly becoming the highest paid employees on campus. Head coach, Urban Myer, for example, earns roughly 3.4 million dollars while University of Florida President, J Bernard Machen, makes $411.000 annually. How did all this happen? Probably the same way Hannah Montana and Brittany Spears became the most widely researched individuals on Google. Beating out my favorite, of course, Madonna. In all candor though, America's mania over college football is occurring during a time when thousands of adolescents will be denied an opportunity to attend college. These same universities crying broke during the recession are expanding luxuries boxes, football stadiums, and weight rooms. By limiting freshmen admissions, however, state universities are taking away the only ladder available for poor children to climb out of poverty; but since they are not politically connected, not one congressman would be willing to tax athletic revenue to create educational opportunities for the disadvantaged. Clearly if we are not more deliberate in appropriating all college revenue, this issue can easily become a national disgrace...and that's something mot even a gator can stomach.

New Orleans over New England
Pittsburgh over Baltimore
Carolina over New York
Jacksonville over San Francisco
Upset Special
Alabama over Florida